


The Sweetest Apology

by lasersheith



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Fluff, Humor, M/M, SHEITH - Freeform, hunk takes pity on him, keith is bad at baking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-21
Updated: 2018-03-21
Packaged: 2019-04-06 05:33:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14050005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lasersheith/pseuds/lasersheith
Summary: Everyone hates those tiny little desks every college feels the need to cram into huge lecture halls- they're way too small and there's never enough of the left handed ones. Keith thinks he scored big time getting the only left handed desk in his new class, but didn't realize he'd be stealing it from a classmate who's missing his right arm... How do you even apologize for that?





	The Sweetest Apology

**Author's Note:**

> I may or may not have written this to avoid my own astrodynamics homework (I did)

Transferring schools is never easy, but it’s especially tough to not only be transferring into a highly competitive program, but also several years younger than most of the students in said program. He knew when he signed up that it would be difficult subject matter and difficult to make up the first few weeks of class that he missed, but he was determined to give it his all. He arrived to his first attendance of  _ Astrodynamics  _ 7 minutes early and sat down at the only left-handed desk in the room. 

 

Unfortunately it was at the very front of the class, but at least that meant he wouldn’t be tempted to mess around on his phone during the lecture. He pulled out his notebook and pencil as other students started filing in. He was absent-mindedly doodling while waiting for the professor to start the lecture when a shadow eclipsed everything in front of him. “Hey, sorry, but you’re uh.” The source of the shadow coughed lightly. “You’re kind of in my seat.” Keith gritted his teeth but didn’t look up. This guy probably thought he was some kind of hotshot- that just because Keith was younger and smaller and new that he could just push him around. Well, he was in for a rude awakening. 

 

“Yeah, well, I don’t see your name on it.” Keith gritted out. Sure, it wasn’t his most mature line ever, but he stood by it. “Maybe if you got to class earlier you could pick whatever seat you...” He looked up as he spoke, the fire in his voice immediately quelled. “...want.” He gulped. He swore time itself froze and left him gaping up at the most gorgeous man he’d ever seen in his life. He was tall, broad shouldered, and impossibly muscular with a jawline that could cut steel. Additionally, Keith noted with a sinking feeling in his gut, the right sleeve of his shirt ended in a knot instead of an arm. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry,” Keith fumbled out. He stuffed his pencil into his pocket and grabbed his notebook in one hand while slinging his backpack over his shoulder with the other. 

 

Somehow he managed to trip over his own feet in his haste to get out of the chair. He closed his eyes and tensed his whole body anticipating the terrible spill in front of all of his new classmates. He couldn’t help but wonder which would be worse: the embarrassment or physical injury? It was probably what he deserved for being such an asshole, he thought to himself. Instead of a dirty, unyielding floor, he felt a firm grasp on his arm and spun slightly until he bumped into the other man’s chest. The blush burning on his cheeks felt like it might burn through his skin and bones and leave him sitting there a pile of ash. He almost wanted it to. 

 

“Uhm. Thanks.” He squeaked out, righting the backpack that had slid down his shoulders. The tall man just gently let go of his arm and smiled at him. “Don’t worry about it.” Keith was trying to get his face to make a smile, but all he wanted to do was head back to his dorm room and hide under his covers until the end of eternity, so he was sure it came out as more of a grimace. “I’m Shiro, by the way.” He said softly, still smiling. 

 

Keith’s mouth went dry and his palms began to erupt with sweat. His blush spread from his cheeks down his neck and across his ears. Shiro stood and looked at him expectantly for what felt like hours but could only have been seconds before Keith managed to make his throat work. “Keith.” He breathed out and immediately looked away. Shiro chuckled a little under his breath and patted Keith on the shoulder. “Well, nice to meet you, Keith.” He said, moving past him and sliding into the seat. “Right.” Keith replied and cringed right afterward. Social skills weren’t his strongest attribute, but he honestly couldn’t remember a time he’d made a worse first impression; which was really saying something considering his first meeting with his new roommate had ended in a fist fight. 

 

Keith berated himself the entire walk to the top back row of the classroom where the only free seats remained and throughout the entire lecture. When he walked by the only left handed desk in the front row on his way out, Shiro had already gone. 

 

..

 

_ Astrodynamics _ was a Tuesday/Thursday course, so naturally Keith had spent all of Tuesday evening and most of Wednesday morning trying to come up with a way to apologize for how rude he’d been to Shiro. His first batch of apology cookies had turned out just atrocious and he’d swiftly gotten rid of the evidence and looked up a new recipe. His second batch was passable, but not great. He frowned at his phone and then at the pile of sub-par baked goods on the tiny dorm stove. 

 

A tall, friendly-looking guy with a slightly condescending smile walked up to Keith. “Hey buddy, I couldn’t help but notice that you are… not very good at this.” He let out a frustrated groan and hung his head. “Don’t worry, Keith, I make a mean batch of cookies.” The man said, pulling an apron out of a cabinet that Keith hadn’t noticed. He raised an eyebrow at him. “How did you know my name?” 

 

The man finished tying the string behind him and grinned. “Haha, funny story about that. I was actually in the living room Saturday while you beating the crap out of Lance.” His grin broadened. “Which was hil-ar-ious by the way.” He said in a stage whisper. “Lance is a great guy once you get to know him, but sometimes he does need to be taken down a peg. We’ve been friends for like, ever.” He slapped a hand to his forehead lightly. “Oh duh! I’m Hunk, by the way.” Keith laughed through his shock and shook Hunk’s hand. “Well, thanks for the help, Hunk, I appreciate it. I’ll be sure to kick Lance’s ass more often, since I get favors out of the deal.” He said, returning Hunk’s smile finally. 

 

Hunk laughed and slapped him on the back. “Soooo, what’s the occasion for the confections if I may ask?” He set out grabbing ingredients and lining them up next to bowls and various measuring devices. Keith cringed. “Is it for a giiiirl?” Hunk sing-songed, noting his uncomfortable shift in posture. Keith made a face. “Uhh, a guy actually.” He rubbed the back of his neck. Hunk made a kissy face at him and chuckled. “Smart, everyone loves cookies.” He poured some flour into a large bowl and started measuring out the salt. 

 

Keith floundered for a moment, opening and closing his mouth like a fish stuck on the shore. He’d meant to say that it wasn’t like that, that Hunk had gotten it wrong, but had he? Apologizing was obviously the most important thing, but Keith couldn’t help getting distracted in the fantasy of the strong grip that had held his arm and kept him from falling, accompanied by the small but fond smile. Maybe Hunk was right. He shook his head to get back to the task at hand. He saw Hunk mixing several ingredients in a bigger bowl next to the flour. “Why didn’t you just dump it all in at once?” He asked, sliding up to the counter closer to Hunk.

 

Hunk let out a derisive laugh. “Oh my sweet summer child,” He shook his head and made a tsk noise. “You want a creamy, crumbly base for your cookie dough with proper leavening so your cookies will be fluffy and delicious instead of flat and sad.” He started beating in eggs and humming. “The flour mixture goes in last, after you’ve added in the eggs for emulsification. That’s the secret to the perfect cookie.” Keith nodded. “Sounds a lot like chemistry class.” He murmured. Hunk smiled at him and nodded. “Exactly! Cooking is just science but tasty! It’s great!” Keith smiled back at him. 

 

They spent the next several minutes rolling cookie dough into balls and chatting. Keith learned that Hunk loved RPGs and movies, but racing games and anything in 3D made him motion sick. They had really similar tastes in music and TV shows and Keith hardly noticed the time that went by while the cookies were baking. After they’d cooled for precisely 11 minutes, Hunk pronounced them ready to taste. 

 

Keith had figured Hunk knew what he was doing since he was able to explain everything with such ease and familiarity, but he’d never expected this. The outside had a delicious slight crunch and the inside was gooey and filled with chocolate chips. It was the best thing Keith had ever put into his mouth and he couldn’t help but say as much. Hunk fixed him with a mischievous look. “Well, maybe your mystery prince charming will think so too, and let you put something else in your mouth.” He wiggled his eyebrows at Keith before bursting into laughter. 

 

Keith’s eyes widened and he groaned at the insinuation. “Ha… sorry. Being friends with Lance rubs off in terrible ways sometimes.” Keith shook his head and laughed. “It’s fine, I just… wasn’t expecting that at all.” He let out a small laugh of his own. “I can’t see how he wouldn’t like these though, they’re incredible. Thanks so much for all your help, man.” Hunk smiled at him and took a dramatic bow. “Cooking is its own reward.” He grabbed another fresh cookie off the pan and took a big bite. “And cookies, of course!” He laughed again and helped Keith package up most of the remaining sweets, leaving a few for each of them to snack on.

 

Now he just had to work up the nerve to give them to Shiro. 

 

..

 

Wednesday night had offered him almost no sleep as he fretted over what he would tell Shiro the next afternoon. Hunk had suggested leaving his phone number on a piece of paper under the cookies so that Shiro would see it when he was finished, but that seemed too indirect for his tastes. It did have the advantage that he wouldn't have to talk to Shiro out loud just yet, but what would he do if Shiro called him instead of texting? He felt like he'd barely managed to close his eyes when his alarm went off. 

 

His first two classes of the day were each a nightmare by themselves, but together they were basically torture. He'd had so much coffee that his pulse was thrumming in his neck like a hummingbird, every unexpected sound had him jumping out of his skin, and he was fairly certain he could smell colors. He walked into the  _ Astrodynamics _ classroom a few minutes early, clutching the note he'd written for Shiro tightly in one hand, the plastic container of cookies in the other. 

 

Shiro was already at the desk, but he was too distracted by his phone to notice Keith come up next to him until the cookies were in front of him. He looked up and set his phone down, smiling as though he’d somehow expected it to be Keith all along. “You really didn't have to do that,” Shiro started, but Keith cut him off by thrusting the note forward. 

 

“I felt really bad about being so rude the other day and I wanted to say thanks for not letting me fall on my face, so…” His face turned an unfortunately very familiar shade of red as Shiro grabbed the note. As he started to open it, Keith slammed his hand forward and blocked Shiro's view. “It's the recipe... And my phone number.” He swallowed hard and held Shiro's gaze even though he wanted to disappear or be struck by lighting or anything but be standing there with Shiro's gorgeous gray-blue eyes boring into his soul. 

 

One side of Shiro's mouth quirked up into the most unfairly sexy smirk Keith had ever seen. “Well,” He slid the note into his backpack and pulled the lid off of the container. “Let's see if I'll be using them, shall we?” Keith chuckled a little and rubbed his sweaty hands on the inside of his hoodie pockets. Shiro took a bite and made the most obscene noise Keith could recall hearing in real life. “These are amazing, Keith!” 

 

He put the cookie down and grabbed the note, immediately typing Keith's number into his phone. “Just for the record, I was going to keep your number even if they were garbage, but these are the best cookies I've ever tasted.” He grabbed another cookie and then slid the container into his backpack, cutting himself off. Keith couldn't help but grin as he watched, reminding himself to come up with a way to thank Hunk for all his help.

 

“Hey do you wanna get coffee after class?” Shiro said, wiping a few crumbs off his lips. Keith's stomach turned at the thought of more coffee. “I might die.” He blurted out. Shiro looked up at him and laughed in surprise. “Ok, no coffee, noted. Dinner then, tomorrow?” Keith scrubbed a hand down his face. 

 

“Yes. Dinner is good. I'll actually sleep tonight so I won't be a weirdo, it'll be good.” He put his hand back by his side and took a deep breath. Shiro smirked again and nodded. “Sounds uh… Good I guess,” he chuckled at Keith's confused look. “I'll text you the details tonight, then.” Keith nodded and turned to go find his own seat before the lecture began, heart hammering away in his chest. 

 

He pulled out his phone when he got to his seat and opened his conversation with Hunk. “He loved them! And he asked me out! I owe you big time!” He hit send and spent most of the lecture smiling at the back of Shiro's head. 

 


End file.
